HISTORY

The Alameda de Paula, completed in 1777, is considered the first promenade of Havana. The Captain General Feliondesville, Marquis de la Torre, influenced by the French enlightenment movement, had some projects about improving the urban conditions of Havana, such as its lighting, paving and sanitation, so that he gave the task to Antonio Fernández de Trebejos y Zaldívar, the architect and the colonel of the engineers in Spanish Army, to build such a mall.

It took its name from the nearby church of San Francisco de Paula. It was built in an area that was used as the garbage dump of the city, called el Rincón at that time. Even though it was merely a dirty embankment initially, flanked by two rows of poplars and a few benches, it was a pleasant place for amusement for the habaneros that lacked other recreational sites at that time. After the addition of the new stone benches and the pavement with cobblestones during the period of 1803 and 1805, this area became one of the most visited places of the city. In 1842 the narrow stairs that gave access to the promenade, were expanded and several lampposts were erected, so that the place became more attractive for the habaneros. In 1845 the pavement, the benches and the stairs were renewed, and a gazebo was built at the sea by the Mexican engineer Mariano Carillo.

In 1847 an ornamented marble fountain with a column was incorporated to the esplanade in honor of the General Captain Leopoldo O’Donell y Jorís that ruled the island by a brutal repression against the slaves from 1843 to 1848. The column, sculpted in North Italy, was covered by rich embossments. On each of its four aspects, it had lion heads from whose mouths water came out. This date was fairly a turning point for the environment of the Alameda de Paula, as many mansions, including some ostentatious buildings that were notable samples of the Cuban architecture, began to be constructed close to it. One of them was the theatre Coliseo; unfortunately, it was destroyed by a fire some time later. All these increased the popularity of the promenade that was a kind of maritime terrace, limited by the walls of Havana. However, in 1911, big part of the promenade was demolished by an US company that was controlling the port, to make room for the port and the warehouses. In the course of time, the preference of the habaneros changed toward the promenade Prado .

TODAY

At present the Alameda de Paula looks like a tree-lined short boulevard, remaining as an island of historical relic between the Avenida San Pedro and the Avenida del Puerto (Desamparados). It runs about 400 meters long parallel to the Avenida del Puerto. Despite the attritional effect of the time, it still retains its charm by the lampposts, the fountain and the sea view. The white marble of the fountain is in great contrast with the dark grey color of the asphalt road around. It is like a long platform, a few hand spans above the street level. The benches are occupied by flirting young people at any time during the day.

At the north end there is the bronze statue watching the sea. It belongs to Nicolás Guillén Batista (1902-1989), the Cuban poet of social protest and a leader of the Afro-Cuban movement in the late 1920s and 1930s. He was arrested several times and was exiled from Cuba during the regime of Fulgencio Batista. After the revolution, he served as the director of Cuba’s Union of Writers and Artists. He served also as a member of the Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Party.

Opposite the marble fountain, there are two statues on the San Pedro street, standing in a small recess at the corner of the Jesus Maria street. They belong to two Mexican personalities that were good friends: Augustin Lara and Pedro Vargas. Augustin Lara (1897-1970), also known as El Flaco de Oro (Golden Skinny), was a composer, poet, singer, interpreter of boleros and actor. Outside the Spanish speaking world, his most famous songs are Granada (to listen, please click) and Solamente Una Vez (You Belong To My Heart-to listen, please click) which have both been recorded by numerous international singers, including Enrico Caruso, Mario Lanza and Jose Carreras. He had visited Havana several times (in 1933, 1939 and 1952). The two meters high, bronze sculpture is the work of the Yucatecan sculptor Humberto Peraza Ojeda. It is donated to Cuba by the people and the government of Veracruz and erected in place in 2000.

Pedro Vargas (1906-1989), nicknamed the Nightingale of Americas, is a famous tenor. He made several visits to the island between the years 1930 and 1960. He used to stay in a suite at the Hotel Nacional de Cuba that currently bears his name. A plaque was installed at the Tropicana Cabaret to honor his memory. His bronze statue was erected during the 25th International Bolero Festival of Havana in 2014. It is the work of the well-known American sculptor Gary Lee Price.

On the San Pedro street there is an open market where the hand made products of the Cuban women are sold. This place was established in 2009 within the scope of the project Alas de Mariposa (Wings of Butterfly), a community project that aims to improve the quality of life of the population through creativity. They use the plastic arts, the embroidery and the fabric for it. 

At the south end the Alameda de Paula units with the Iglesia de San Francisco de Paula, constituting another reason to walk through this tree-lined way.

The Alameda de Paula is declared the World Heritage Site by UNESCO.